LINDA SHOEMAKER: Money and the Gulf oil tragedy

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Have you ever been perplexed about what motivates some people to serve in Congress? If so, just remember the words from a Tom Cruise movie, “Show me the money!”

Men like Joe Barton go to Congress to help out their buddies. Barton, a Republican from Texas, actually had the gall to apologize to BP for the “shakedown” by President Obama. That is what Barton is calling the $20 billion trust fund established by BP following negotiations with President Obama.

The fund is to cover damages caused by the explosion on a drilling rig in the Gulf that burned and toppled into the ocean, taking the lives of 11 hardworking men and spilling untold barrels of oil. This disaster turned a beautiful, productive coastline into a deathtrap for wildlife. Jobs have been lost, businesses closed and the tourism industry is virtually destroyed.

Barton is the ranking Republican on the powerful House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. If the Republicans regain control of the House in November, Barton might chair the committee.

Even fellow Republicans were outraged, and Barton’s committee position was in jeopardy. Why has he behaved in such a shameful manner?

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Barton has received more money from the oil and gas industry than any other member of Congress, reportedly $1.4 million since 1989. Just in the past year, Barton has received $100,470 from oil and gas people, their contributions to him being second only to the electric utility industry.

This exemplifies the “cozy relationship” between the regulated and the regulator that led to lax safety inspections and a deadly disaster.

BP, reacting to public pressure and public relation gaffes, replaced the arrogant Tony Hayward, its CEO, with American Bob Dudley as the corporation’s point man in the spill response. Hayward’s saying he wanted his life back and his yachting in England while gooey, oily sludge crept into scenic coastlines in the Gulf made it appear that BP’s prime concern was the many inconveniences to Hayward.

Another change in leadership occurred when Obama named a new head of the Minerals Management Service. Michael Bromwich, former assistant U.S. attorney and Justice Department inspector general, will oversee oil and gas development. Obama wants to break MMS into three separate entities to avoid conflicts of interest.

We must hope that BP’s new leader is a man of integrity who will value safety for workers over saving time and money. Unfortunately, he will answer to Hayward.

Bromwich has been given a mandate to produce far-reaching changes in MMS and the resources to accomplish those changes. Conscientious management on the rig and more thorough inspections by MMS would have made the difference. We might never have heard about the Deepwater Horizon, what one employee called the “well from hell.”

We do know now for certain, based on testimony and revealing memos, that this tragedy resulted from human error and was no “act of God” as pronounced by Gov. Rick Perry. If the bosses on the rig had heeded the many warning signs, 11 families would not be grieving.

This awful explosion and fire in the Gulf should lead us to accelerate the production of clean sources of energy. In the past, we heard so much about leases in the Gulf and whether we should expand offshore drilling. I was surprised to learn there are 4,000 rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and only 60 MMS inspectors.

The president has announced a moratorium on the deeper wells. However, a federal judge in Louisiana has blocked the moratorium. It is difficult to know what to do in this situation. The president realizes that other wells could explode, exacerbating the current mess. He also has to worry about jobs and business along the coast. It seems obvious though, that safety must be a primary concern.

Back to the issue of money in politics: Did you know that Rick Perry, at the time of this writing, is in China, all expenses paid with our tax dollars? Surely we can encourage trade between China and the Lone Star State without Perry traveling to China. He is being extravagant at every turn, from the mansion he rents with our money to unnecessary foreign travel.

I hope those who are concerned about government spending will look to Bill White as their choice for governor. While mayor of Houston, he increased jobs, lowered crime, reduced school dropout rates and served with a cool head and compassionate heart to help those driven from their homes after Hurricane Katrina, all without raising property taxes. As the former deputy secretary of energy, White is an energy expert and the leader we need in Texas.

Linda Shoemaker is chairwoman of the Tom Green County Democratic Party.